What you’ll need:
- Store-bought frozen French fries
- A frying pan
- Vegetable or cooking oil
- Seasoning
Total cooking time: 10 minutes
Cooking Process of Frozen French Fry
Crispy French fries will walk into anyone’s favorite menu lineup. Who doesn’t love them some crispy strips of golden brown fried goodness now and then? French fries are one of those universal food items we all love and crave, and at the oddest hours too!
It could be a lazy weekend, spending all day in bed after a hectic week at work, and then suddenly you feel your tummy gurgle, and no, it is not just hunger. It is a deep and long-repressed craving for those deep-fried sticks of all things happy.
Plus, that’s the beauty of French fries; you can’t tick them off of any list for the simple reason that they’re so versatile and flexible for a food item. You can eat them as a side portion with your medium-rare sirloin steak, couple them up with your favorite jalapeno burger and coke, or just eat a big bowl of fries by themselves.
But what constitutes the perfect portion of French fries?
You know, the fast-food-grade, restaurant-quality-having bowl of fries? Firstly, it has to be crispy and golden (check) for its texture, and then it must maintain a good ratio of soft-to-the-bite and mushy.
Ensuring the crispiness outside and the soft mushiness inside constitutes the flawlessness of what is deemed ‘restaurant standard fries.
Sadly we can’t always order takeout, or it’s snowing heavily outside, and your pathway’s all clogged up for anything to come through.
It’s comforting to know, in the dead of winter or any other time for that matter, that you too can cook up some of that fast-food-grade crispy bowl of golden brown perfection from the comfort of your home. Just make sure you have store-bought frozen French fries stacked up in your refrigerator.
Moreover, we aim to provide you with the most convenient way of frying frozen French fries at home. Therefore, not owning an air fryer won’t disqualify you from this solution. For we bring you the easiest way to fry frozen French fries in a frying pan (something we all have).
Instructions:
Step 1: It’s better to use a pan or skillet hollow enough to hold an inch or two of oil. Having an adequate amount of oil is essential in ensuring the fries are dressed and to achieve that crispy deep-fried look.
Step 2: To begin, preheat the oil on your pan until it is smoky perfect. It is vital to ensure that your oil is hot enough as cooking in oil that isn’t will result in watery fries.
Step 3: Start adding the cold strips of potatoes as soon as the oil begins to shimmer. But only add a few every batch as overcrowding those yellow minions will result in disproportionate heat distribution and unsatisfactory results.
Step 4: Allow the fries to sizzle and burn in the oil under a medium-high flame for a couple of minutes. Keep an eye on the strips for the golden brown hue and flip them over to repeat.
Step 5: For the next part, use a slotted spoon to remove the batch of fries. Hold them up for a minute to let the excessive oil pour out and place them on a plate lined with paper towels. This will ensure the leftover oil is soaked into the paper towels.
Step 6: Seasoning time! Add extra herbs and spices for a richer flavor. Pack the fries in a container with a lid for a thorough seasoning. Sprinkle away some salt and pepper, garlic powder, rosemary, etc., and close the lid to shake.
Voila! You got yourself the perfect homemade French fries on a frypan.
The Critical Do’s & Dont’s
- A critical consideration to make is the type of frying pan used. French fries are cooked under high temperatures over sustained periods. Therefore, make sure that you’re using stainless steel, enameled cast iron, or ceramic nonstick frypan for this job.
- Use vegetable oil or sunflower oil because they absorb high heat and do not tamper with the flavors. At the same time, unclarified butter releases moisture and makes your food soggy.
- Remember not to defrost your frozen fries as it causes the ice to melt into the potatoes, giving them a soggy taste heat can’t recover.
- Don’t be tempted to add seasoning before or during cooking. Seasoning before cooking draws out the moisture and makes the fries sticky. While seasoning during cooking only prevents the oil from being used for later batches.
